"...Like, what do you do - hand out an announcement?" combating heteronormativity in physical education /

by 1981- Roth, Stephanie Megan

Abstract (Summary)

For many years, women in physical education have been stereotyped as lesbians and seen
as intruders to the masculine arena of sport. Social norms within the school system make it very
clear what is acceptable as a female teacher, and anything differing from the created norm is
considered deviant. With this being the case, it was my desire to break through the walls of
heteronormativity (pattern of thought which places heterosexuality as the normal, natural, and
accepted sexual orientation, failing to recognize any other form of sexuality) within education and
expose the injustice towards a stigmatized and marginalized population of physical educators.
Through semi-structured interviews five teachers had a chance to share their experiences and
bring voice to an often, silenced topic. A qualitative inductive analysis of the data revealed the
silence around the topic of sexuality in education, heterosexual privilege, the influence of the
administration, and the consequences of a heterosexist and homophobic environment.
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